My Beautiful Rescue
by VeganZombie
Summary: "Any other girl, I would've stolen her away from her boyfriend for a weekend or so then forget about her the next Monday. But, I'm not doing that with her. When it comes to Vera Partrov, I'm not the same James Diamond they're used to." James/OC.
1. Poor Little Rich Boy

So here I am, with a whole new story. :) This one might get kind of mushy or kind of angsty depending on the path I decide on...but I guess it's something different for me for a change. The rating will probably change later on, too. Oh, and for those of you who read SYTL, there's definitely some mention of Brooklyn & Logan in this, and they just might play a part in this later on. I dunno, I'm just kind of winging this one. Enjoy. :D  
- Veg

* * *

There are a lot of things I should never be trusted around- fire, sharp objects, other peoples' girlfriends… the list can go on forever. Anyway, like I said, there are plenty of things I never should be trusted with, not that anyone would ever be stupid enough to do so, but there are always two certain ones that I really need to watch for: children and animals.

For starters, children just always remind me of that little terror I created after the guys and I finished our first tour. The little brat locked me in a cage and tried to steal my identity, which was _so_ not cool. Besides, kids are whiny, noisy and always need to be entertained, which I definitely don't have the patience for. Animals, on the other hand…well, they're just like kids in some ways, only worse. They're twice as noisy and a hundred times needier, because unlike children, who can learn, animals actually can't do anything for themselves. You have to feed them, walk them, bathe them, and just pamper them so they don't have to move an inch. And, not to mention, they never really like me. I guess there was a reason behind why my family never got me a dog when I was a kid.

When Kelly informed Kendall that he was stuck doing his volunteer work at a daycare center, I thought I lucked out. You see, Gustavo is determined to keep Big Time Rush's image as squeaky clean as it already is…so, I guess his way of stressing it is to throw us out into a sea of commoners and force us to do volunteer work. I glance over at Kendall, who doesn't exactly look thrilled with the idea. The only one who is relatively pleased with their destination is Logan, of course, who gets to spend some time down at the hospital. Kendall's stuck with a bunch of kids, Carlos with a bunch of little kids, and I end up with… "The Partrov Rescue Center...an animal shelter?" Kelly informs me, her eyes nearly popping out of her head when she looks down at her clipboard. I can tell she knows none of this is a good idea, too. "Well, you boys, erm…" She clears her throat, which couldn't have sounded any faker, and hurries out of Gustavo's office. "Have fun with that!"

"Please tell me what we did to deserve this," I suddenly blurt out, glaring down at our manager, who is lazily slouched in his chair with his feet up on his desk as he completely absorbs his self in his cell phone.

"Oh, cry me a river!" He replies, a lot louder and slower than necessary. "It's only a few hours out of two days of your weeks. It's not gonna kill you to help some people other than yourselves." I swear I hear Carlos mumble, _"Like you're one to talk,"_ and try my hardest to contain my laughter.

"Alright, guys, I guess he's right," Kendall says with a sigh. "This will be a good thing for us…right?"

Carlos and I just mutter an, "I guess so," while Logan just looks at the three of us with an insolent smile that I'm tempted to smack right off his face.

"Now, get out of here," Gustavo tells us, mid-yawn. "You were all supposed to be at said destinations…" He takes a moment to glance down at his watch, which confuses me, considering he most likely had the time right in front of him on the phone he refuses to put down. "15 minutes ago." Logan rushes himself out of the office while the three of us slowly follow behind. This isn't going to be fun.

I take all the time I possibly can, considering I'm not exactly in any hurry to get there. I spend a good 10 minutes trying to find a decent song on the radio while trying to prevent my seatbelt from locking itself. It's not like Gustavo will find out I'm late. I don't even think you _can_ be late for volunteering, anyway. They're lucky if I even decide to show up. For a minute, I actually consider not even going, until my phone starts to ring and I see its Gustavo. _Dammit, he knows… _After taking another moment to quickly run my comb through my hair, I swerve out of the parking lot of Roque Records.

"Animal shelter…" I mumble to myself when I come to the stoplight right before my turn. "I mean, what the hell is he _thinking_?" I realize, after talking to myself out loud, that I sped right past the Partrov Rescue Center and have to turn around. "I can _already_ tell this is going to be awful… God, I really need to stop talking to myself out loud…" I let out a loud groan before pulling into the parking lot of the small building. "By the time I get out of here, there will be news of Carlos, like, blowing up an old person or something…and I'll just have _rabies_ from a furry little demon." I take a deep breath before pulling turning the car off and reluctantly dragging myself out and to the entrance. "I don't want to do this…" That's, of course, until I look through the window and see a young girl, probably around my age, sitting at the front desk. "Okay, maybe I _can_ do this." After taking a quick glimpse at my rather attractive reflection in the glass, I swing the door open with a little more force than I needed, most likely scaring the poor girl at the front desk, who nearly jumps out of her seat.

"Oh, sorry," she quietly says, pushing back a strand of dark reddish-brown hair that falls loose from her clip. "You scared me."

"Sorry about that," I reply, flashing my overly-flirtatious smile. I can't help but notice her pale face turn a bright shade of red as she pushes her black, plastic, glasses frames further up the bridge of her nose. "I'm James." I offer her my hand, and she hesitantly shakes it. "James Diamond."

"Oh!" She suddenly says, still as quiet as she was before. "You're the new volunteer?"

"That's me." I just smile again, trying my hardest to pretend like I actually want to be here. I have a feeling I shouldn't make a lousy first impression on this girl.

"Um, right…" She quickly takes her big, grey eyes off of me to stare back over at the laptop in front of her and types something. "Just…give me a second… Okay." She rolls her chair back to the filing cabinet behind her, pulls the bottom drawer open and flips through a few manila folders until she pulls out a single sheet of paper and hands it to me. "Just a, uh, volunteer agreement form you need to sign." When she hands me her pen, I gently take it from her hand, playfully tangling my fingers with hers as she coyly looks away and jerks her hand back. I just smile again and lean down on her desk to fill out the form, only bringing my face closer to hers.

"I'm sorry," I then say, looking up at her. "But, I didn't seem to catch your name…"

"Oh, um, I'm Vera." She finally shows me her sweet but wary smile in return.

"Like the song?" I can't help but tease, and then only feel obligated to hum her the first line of the famous Pink Floyd song. She nervously giggles and diverts her attention over to her computer again, until she hears someone calling her name. Before she can reply, a woman who looks like an identical, but much older version of her, steps out of the door behind her desk. Not to mention, the woman has a giant white fleabag hopelessly trailing behind her that immediately growls when it lays eyes on me. Upon closer inspection, I notice it actually only has one eye, which made me feel a bit…uncomfortable.

"Vera, can you- oh!" She suddenly stops herself when she notices me, her mutt growling at me at the same time. "And who do we have here?" Vera sweetly shushes the dog, stroking the top of its head.

"Ma, this is James," Vera tells her, and I smile over at the older woman. "That new volunteer you were telling me about."

"Oh, right!" She says, smiling and offering her hand to me. Obviously, Vera and her mother have completely opposite personalities. "You're the one from Roque Records, correct?" I nod and shake her hand. "I'm Anya Partrov. I see you've already met my daughter." She puts her hand on Vera's shoulder and quietly says something to her that doesn't even sound like English to me. Vera just sighs and shakes her head in return. "Are you getting everything set up for James here?" She nods, resumes typing away on her computer, and inaudibly says something in that indecipherable language again. "Alright, I have to head home. Will you be able to stay till 7?"

"Yeah, I'm just gonna…" She pauses to let out a yawn, just as quiet as her speaking voice. "Finish up this paper, and then I'll, um, finish up walking whoever's left." She makes eye contact with me for a short second, but then quickly looks away. I refrain from chuckling out loud at how unbelievably shy she is.

"Oh, by the way, Vera," she then says before walking out the door. "Your, erm, _David _called." She kind of snarls the name and rolls her eyes before closing the door behind her. I wonder what that's all about.

Once Mrs. Partrov leaves, everything goes completely silent again, except for the mutt snoring at Vera's feet while her fingers rapidly move across her keyboard. I uncomfortably clear my throat as I continue to take my time with filling out the paper I was given. "And…done." Vera whispers to herself before letting out a deep sigh and closing her computer. I quickly finish up filling out my form and then hand it back to her. She gives me a quiet, "Thanks," and then searches the cluttered desk until she finds the appropriate folder for it.

"So," I say, smiling at her once again. "What can I do for you?" Although, I was mentally screaming, _"I gotta get the hell out of here…"_

"Ah…um…" She gently places her index finger on her lip, taking a moment to think, and then rolls back in her chair to look at the bulletin board behind her. She starts to quietly murmur to herself as she reads one of the papers in the center of everything. "No, that's being taken care of…that's done…uh…" She sighs and spins her chair back around, looking up at me and innocently shrugging. "Some dogs still need to be walked…if you want to help me with that."

"Yeah, sure," I smile at her again as she shyly purses her lips together and quickly jumps up to lead me through the door behind her. I mean, how hard can walking a dog be?

Of course, when she hands me three leashes, I start to get nervous.

* * *

While I can barely handle three puppies, I feel like a bigger idiot than usual while Vera effortlessly controls three huge shelter mutts, plus her own dog, Misha the Great White One-Eyed Wonder, who seems to absolutely _despise _me.

"You alright back there?" Vera calls back to me, clearly a mile ahead.

"Uh, yeah…" I lie. When she turns around, of course, she's able to see that the Mr. Smooth James Diamond is tangled within the three leashes of tiny little _rat-dogs._ She just laughs and quickly rushes to help me, though, as embarrassing as it is.

"Here," she says, grabbing the leashes from me. "Hold these two-" She takes two of the leashes and hands them to me. "-in one hand, and then hold this one separate." She looks down at one of the mutts that starts jumping on its hind legs, and then kneels down on one knee to pet it. The dog is quick to jump up and slobber all over her face, and I try my hardest not to cringe. _Dog kisses. Gross. _"Be careful with this one. She tends to wander and do her own thing, so that's probably why you got tangled." She pats its head once more before I hold my hand out to help her stand back up.

"I'm sorry, I'm not really good at this," I admit, laughing it off.

"You're seriously having trouble walking a dog?" That was probably an attempt to take some kind of shot at me, but it was still as hesitant and sweet sounding as she's been since I walked in today.

"Well, we were never really…_animal_ people."

"And you're volunteering at an animal shelter?" She cocks an eyebrow at me and I can't help but feel somewhat embarrassed. Of course, I don't let it show.

"It's a long story," I coolly reply. "So, what about you? I mean, is this your mom's place or something?"

"Yeah, it's my parents'," she explains. "I guess I kind of grew up there myself."

"Yeah, you see, I always wanted a dog growing up- never got one. I guess I'm just not used to them now."

"That's a shame," she says with actual sympathy. "I mean, they _are_ man's best friend."

"I guess I just prefer to have my best friends that talk." I shrug, and Vera just laughs and shakes her head.

"They shouldn't have to talk, James. You figured out what Misha thought of you, didn't you?" I can't help but laugh there.

"Yeah- he _hates _me."

"It's not you…he's just overprotective of me." Her gaze kind of wanders as her smile slowly fades away, which kind of confuses me. "He's _my_ best friend." Of course, it's kind of unappealing to hear a pretty girl call a dog her best friend, but I just brush it off. "Too bad I can't take him to college with me…"

"Senior year?" I flash a smile, and she nods.

"Yup, and I can't wait to get out of here," she admits, laughing a bit. "But I'm gonna miss…everyone."

"Where are you gonna go?" I ask, just out of curiosity.

"Hopefully UPenn for vet medicine," she calmly explains, and that's where my eyes nearly pop out of my head.

"University of Pennsylvania? Isn't that, like, _ivy league?"_ She sighs.

"Yeah…that's the problem. I was already accepted, but we're not sure if we can afford it yet." At that moment, I can't help but think of my friend volunteering in the hospital right now. I wonder if Logan still has second thoughts about going to med school. I know he took the SATs last year just in case and actually did pretty well, but hasn't talked about it since. "Then again, my boyfriend really doesn't want me going that far away, anyways." I kind of wince at the word "boyfriend."

"Yeah, my friend's girlfriend is going to NYU, and he hates the idea," I attempt to make some sort of conversation out of it instead of continuing my attempts of flirting. I know a girl's boyfriend has never really stopped me before, but I was getting this vibe that I should stop. "You know, you'd like Logan. He actually always had dreams of being a doctor himself; never really expected to be a pop star in LA."

"Life doesn't always turn out how you expect it to," she blankly explains, her voice trailing off. I get this weird feeling from the way she says it, but I just ignore it.

On my drive home that night, I think of Vera. As I'm walking in the Palm Woods parking lot, I think of Vera. Once I get into the lobby…I see a new, rather pretty girl and end up with a date for tomorrow night.


	2. That Time

Heythereee, everyone. Much thanks to the reviews and alerts from the last chapter- always a good way to make me happy. Enjoy. :)  
- Veg

* * *

Volunteering actually ended up being…not that bad. Actually, Logan, Carlos and I really don't mind it at all- it's Kendall who comes home every day covered in paint with the world's worst migraine. "I _hate_ this," he complains, crashing down on the couch. Week 2, and it's obvious nothing's gotten any better for him. "How much longer do I have of this?"

"Until Gustavo says so," Carlos says in a mocking tone while childishly pointing at him. I notice Logan sigh and roll his eyes, and I know exactly what he's thinking- almost eighteen years old, and Carlos is still as immature as ever. Kendall buries his face in a pillow and lets out a long, loud, fake sobbing noise. I can't help but be thankful that I'm not him right now as I try to hold in my laughter. My friends and I all exchange entertained glances when we noticed the big spot of green paint in the back of his hair.

"Maybe you should go take a shower," Logan suggests, letting out an awful fake cough to cover up his amusement. "Aren't you and Jo going out tonight, anyway?" Kendall just starts to make more annoying noises as he loudly whines something into the pillow, and none of us are able to figure out what the hell it is. "Uh, okay…"

"So, how're things going for you at the hospital?" Carlos then asks him as he repeatedly tosses a pillow up in the air. The little things that amuse that kid…

"They're incredible," Logan replies with a proud smile. "I feel like-" His smile then fades away as he stops himself. "Uh, never mind." Carlos and I exchange weird looks at that moment. "What about you guys?"

"I love old people!" Carlos exclaims, quickly changing the subject as we all give him a blank stare- even Kendall, who had to pick his head up to do so. "What? Have _you_ ever had a wheelchair race across the whole building?" We all keep our stares on him, both worried and confused. "I didn't think so."

"Carlos," Logan starts, looking more worried than anyone. "That- that's not _safe._"

Carlos just innocently shrugs and tells him, "It was fun." Kendall and I just shrug it off- this is, after all, the same kid who's taken advice from parrots and somehow manages to pull his hockey helmet out of nowhere. "What about you, James? I haven't heard you complain- at _all_."

"It's actually…okay," I admit, and my friends look surprised. Well, except for Kendall, who just rolls his eyes.

"That's because he still gets to sleep in till 12 every day," he says, shooting me a glare. I just shrug in return- he actually has a point. I really don't have much of an organized schedule for my volunteering. I show up around 2 o'clock every afternoon and randomly assist someone there for about a half hour until Vera shows up, which is awkward, but the other volunteers are pretty friendly. Vera normally comes straight from school around 2:30, where I sit with her at the front desk. Vera busies herself with schoolwork, answering the occasional phone call, and I actually talk a lot, a lot of the times while eating something I picked up for lunch on the way. I'm not even sure what about most of the time, but I know she's paying attention, even if she does just quietly laugh at me the whole time as that scary one-eyed mutt growls at me, because Vera's a good listener. We don't really do much up until the last hour or so when we go for a walk. The dogs and I still hate each other, but I feel like we're slowly…warming up. "Seriously, what do you even do there?" I just kind of shrug his question off.

"I don't know. Hang out, walk dogs…that's about it," I plainly reply.

"And you're…_okay_ with that?" Logan suspiciously asks, cocking an eyebrow. Of course- my friends figure that the only way I can possibly be enjoying this is if there's a girl involved.

"Yeah," I just shrug my shoulders and play the stupid, oblivious card that I'm so used to.

"In other words, the place is probably filled with hot girls," Kendall attempts to translate, and he actually can't be any more wrong.

"Actually, it's a lot of old people and gay guys," I correct, laughing a bit. "The one girl there who's our age…well, she has a boyfriend." Kendall rolls his eyes at me while finally taking a moment to sit himself up.

"You say that like that's never stopped you before."

"Yeah, well," I try to come up with some type of excuse or explanation, but I honestly can't. "This is just different, okay?" My friends all let out quiet, bored, "Okay,"'s before changing the subject yet again.

"Well, I better get ready," Logan says, and then taps Kendall on the shoulder. "And so should you. Don't piss Jo off tonight, alright?"

"Going out with _Brooklyn_?" Carlos teases, and Logan just happily smiles in return.

"Of course," is his reply. "Who else would it possibly be?" Oh, _gag._ Okay, yeah, I'm happy for him, but the two are just so…in _love_. Then again, I know nothing about serious relationships- I know nothing about anything. I mean, I guess the two really have been through a lot together- from Brooklyn agreeing to wear the ring Logan gave her to her mother passing away this past year. She's living with her grandmother and her brothers until she leaves for NYU in the fall, which Logan is dreading. I really do feel sorry for her sometimes, but if I've learned anything about that girl these past two years, it's that she's probably the strongest, most independent person I know, even if Logan doesn't want her to be.

Eventually, all of my friends are gone- Logan with Brooklyn, Kendall with Jo, and Carlos on a "Girl Hunt". I can't help but sigh at the thought of that one. _Carlos…_ I nearly jump out of my seat when I hear a sudden knock on the door and quickly rush to answer it, curious to see who's coming to our empty room this time at night...oh, god...it's night time already? What the hell am I doing at home?

I swing the door open, only to find a very pretty, tiny girl with blonde hair and big green eyes. Oh! _That_ was my plan for tonight! God, I really am stupid. "James," she says in her sweet tone. "You were supposed to meet me downstairs fifteen minutes ago." Please don't tell me she was counting. That would be a total turn-_off_. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," I immediately reply. "Sorry, I lost track of time." She flashes me a bright white smile and gently grabs my hand.

"So, ready to go?" She asks, sounding a little too excited. Where exactly am I taking her again?

"Uh," That's when I draw a blank. What the _hell_ is her name again? God…come on, _think_, you idiot. A…A…Ashley, Amanda? No…no. "Yeah, sure. Let's go." I guess I'll figure it out soon enough.

* * *

The next day, I'm surprised to find Vera sitting at her desk when I reach the shelter around 2. She looks both overly comfortable and half asleep in her sweatpants and sweatshirt as she reclined back in her chair with her feet up on her desk. "Hi, James," she quietly greets me, mid-yawn.

"Hey," I say, a bit confused. "What're you doing here so early?"

"I have half-days during midterms," she whines. "And I'm exhausted." I can't help but laugh a bit, and she scrunches up her forehead in return, obviously not pleased with my reaction. Once she warms up to you, Vera is actually rather comical. She then slides her chair over to the door that leads to the back, opens it just the slightest bit, and loudly calls out, "Zach! I'm taking a break!" We immediately hear her flamboyant fellow volunteer yell back, "_You've been taking a break for the past two hours!_" To that, Vera just giggles and yells back, "Okay, thanks!"

"That's the loudest I've ever heard you," I can't help but point out as I notice her pulling a set of keys out of her pocket. She dangles them in front of me and shows me a small smile.

"I'm gonna go get lunch," she says, back in her usual silent tone again. "Care to join me?"

"Vera Partrov, are you making a move on me?" I tease her, placing my hands on my hips in a mocking way. I flash her a smirk when I notice her face transform into a bright shade of scarlet.

"James," she attempts to sternly state, but it just comes out as timid as ever. "Seriously..."

"Of course, I'm starving," I reply with a chuckle, slinging my arm around her shoulder in a friendly manner- her face still turns even brighter. "Let's go." She quietly leads me to back parking lot and over to the little red Nissan I just so happen to park next to almost every day.

The two of us hit up a diner around the corner that I've probably seen a million times and have never even thought of going in. When Vera orders a veggie burger after we sit down, I'm tempted to ask if she's a vegetarian, but I don't want to make myself look any dumber than I probably already have. The funny thing is that as smart as Vera probably is- and you have to be pretty damn smart to get into Penn- she never really seems to mind my stupidity the way other smart girls seem to. I can't help but remember going out with Brooklyn after we first met, which Logan still holds against me, but it's really not my fault there's not one girl in this world that's able to resist me. But, let's just say after this first date with her, I was done- she was done with me. Apparently, I really embarrassed myself because I had no idea what the hell she was saying 95% of the time- I just knew she looked hot, and that was all I cared about then (not that looks aren't important anymore, because they definitely are.) Anyways, Vera's different. I may be stupid, but she doesn't seem to mind much. She just listens to my mindless babbling and laughs at things no one else would find funny.

In the midst of our conversation, I can't help but notice that Vera has quite a few small bruises on her neck, which makes me wonder. "I'm sorry," I say, referring to the fact that I just interrupted her. "But, what happened to you?" I gesture towards her neck, which she immediately places her hand over, wincing in pain.

"Oh," she says with a nervous laugh, showing me a smile that seems forced. "I'm really clumsy...and on top of that, I bruise really easily. I don't even know where half of them come from."

"Oh, okay..." I say, kind of shrugging it off, but it still seems weird.

"You know, James- you're a lot different than I expected you to be," she then proceeds to softly tell me with a mellifluous smile.

"And what's what supposed to mean?" I question with a mock of offense. Once again, as expected, she laughs at me.

"Honestly, when I heard some big-name record producer was looking to push one of his boys on us for publicity, I was kind of..." She innocently shrugs her shoulders before adding in, "...annoyed." She shoots me a nervous look, probably wondering if she's really offending me. I just give her a warm smile and nod, telling her it's okay for her to continue. "I really just expected you to be some jerk trying to look like some hot-shot in a noisy muscle car and a million girlfriends, but you're...different." I tightly purse my lips together and let my eyes wander out the window- she clearly missed my car in the parking lot and doesn't know my calendar filled up to next week with dates with different girls. She actually made me feel guilty. "You're actually a real person- a very funny, sweet and genuine person. Misha doesn't even hate you that much anymore and it hasn't even been two full weeks yet." I laugh at that last one, but she's not kidding. The one-eyed mutt seems to be growling at me less and less every day. "You know, we should get going soon. I left my phone with the rest of my stuff, so they're probably looking for me."

"You know, this was pretty fun," I blurt out once the waiter places the little black folder in between us, which Vera gently grabs, and I grab it back before she can open it, place the pay on the inside and call for the waiter, who is quick to retrieve it.

"James, you didn't have to-" She stops once I start laughing at her again.

"It's not a big deal," I assure her. I mean, it is only lunch at a diner. That's, what, not even 10$ out of hundreds of thousands I get paid? Really, no big deal.

When the two of us pull back into the shelter parking lot, Vera completely freezes. "You alright?" I ask, clearly confused. She slowly nods, just enough for me to notice.

"Yeah, sorry," she says, pulling the car back into her spot. "My boyfriend's here. He's probably been waiting."

And after meeting Vera's boyfriend, "David", I learned that he's just this cocky, controlling jerk with a bad attitude. That's probably why good ol' Misha spent that whole 15 minutes gnawing at his ankle.


	3. Apres Moi

Hey, guys. Sorry I've been kind of MIA this week. My life is just rehearsal after rehearsal for show after choir after _show choir_. It's awful, and I apologize.  
Anyway, reviews are always appreciated. As much as I love the motivation **BRAVO. SCHMIDT **and **WolfGirl-XD** give me, I know they're not the only ones reading, so, to everyone else who has this on their alerts, please come out of hiding. I don't bite. I'm vegan. Promise. Oh, and sorry this one seems kinda short. I dunno why. :P  
-Veg

* * *

"Alright, dogs," Gustavo says, pacing back and forth with his arms behind his back as the four of us stand in a straight line. It seriously feels like he's a drill sergeant and we're his little military…_dogs_. "It's officially been three weeks since you've all started your-" He takes a short pause and makes air quotes with his index and middle fingers. "-"volunteer work," and I'm pleased to see…" What? What is that- a _smile?_ "None of you have died yet."

"Well," Logan starts with a smile. "We're all actually having fun with-" He immediately stops out of nervous habit when our rather intimidating manager and producer abruptly turns around and begins to search through the sea of papers covering his desk. Logan lets out a quiet and nervous, "Okay…" before Gustavo pulls out a magazine from the bottom of the pile. After flipping through a few pages, he opens to one plastered with pictures of…us?

"I'm also pleased to say you're getting some recognition for your efforts," he says with a sly smile as Kelly sighs and rolls her eyes from the corner behind him.

"_BTR Gives Back…?_" I questioningly read out loud, cocking an eyebrow at that title. There's no doubt Gustavo's behind this publicity stunt- then again, that was his plan to begin with. As my eyes begin to wander the pictures on the page, it seems my friends immediately notice the same one I do- there sat Kendall, in a rocking chair with a children's book in his hand, obviously over-acting the story for a bunch of fidgety, misbehaved toddlers. We all simultaneously shoot him the same questioning gaze, and the look he gives us returns screams, "_I don't even want to talk about it._"

"Look!" Carlos then over-excitedly shouts, pointing at the picture next to it. "It's me and Old Joe!" He diverts our attention over to his picture, where he looks surprisingly serious while in the midst of a game of chess with an elderly man in a wheelchair.

"Old Joe?" Kendall questions, raising one of his over-the-top eyebrows.

"You know how to play chess?" Logan asks at that same time.

Carlos ignore both of their questions and just happily states, "I love old people."

"Carlos…" Logan states with a sigh. "I'm pretty sure that the politically correct term is _elderly_." Once again, Carlos just ignores him.

"Hey, look at you, _Dr_. Mitchell," Kendall teases, elbowing Logan in the stomach as he points to the picture of Logan, talking to a doctor as he takes care of a patient. God, how is it that none of us seemed to notice these being taken?

"Yeah, it's…great there," Logan says with a sad-looking smile. I exchange nervous glances with my other two friends. We all know what he's probably thinking, though we don't want to believe it- our friend is having second thoughts about the life he's living with us in LA and still longs for that lost dream of his to help people.

"Uh," Carlos immediately searches for another distraction to dissuade all attention away from the topic. "Look, James! You haven't seen your picture yet!" He quickly shoves the magazine in my face to the point where it's so close I actually can't see anything. I hear Kendall let out an amused snicker as I snatch the paper away from him. Once I finally get a chance to get a good look at _my_ picture, I'm smiling to myself like a complete idiot.

"What's the smile for?" Kendall snorts, and my expression immediately drops.

"Uh, nothing," I try and play it off coolly. "I look good, that's all." I glance back down at the picture- actually, I _do_ look pretty damn good, especially in those sunglasses. Vera was next to me in the picture, the two of us laughing at the fact that our leashes all got into a tangled mess with each other.

"And _this_ is why you should just let them enjoy the time they're putting into it, rather than just using it as a publicity stunt," Kelly, clearly irritated, tells her boss through clenched teeth. He ignores her, and the four of us give her a sympathetic look. She really does take a lot of his crap. I'm surprised she stuck with him for this long.

"Oh, and Kelly," Gustavo, clearly _bored_, says as he reclines back in his chair and taps away at his smartphone some more. "Give the dogs the…uh…" He furrows his brow, clearly at loss for his train of thought. "That thing you were supposed to give them for me!"

"You mean the new _song_?" She glares over at him, and once again, he ignores her.

"Yes! That!" Kelly then proceeds to hand us each a piece of sheet music, and Carlos immediately groans when he gets his.

"I will most definitely be bothering Brooklyn this weekend for help with this," he grumbles, intently staring down at the paper and my friends and I can't stop ourselves from laughing at him. Carlos really does act like a kid still- not that I'm the most mature out of all of us or anything, because it's obvious I'm not.

"You won't be able to," Logan points out as the four of us make our ways out of Gustavo's office, and I notice Carlos' facial expression completely fade into blank nothingness. "She leaves for New York on Friday." That's when Carlos lets out a deep sigh and rolls his eyes.

"Logan," he attempts to shoot back, sounding more serious then he probably ever will, treating our friend like he's actually stupid. "Brooklyn doesn't leave for college until the fall." Okay, Carlos is an idiot. We all love him like a little brother, but a really stupid one.

"She's not going to college yet, stupid," Logan replies, looking like he's holding back his urge to slap him upside his head. "She's getting out of school for a few weeks to go do this theatre workshop with her friend." Carlos then proceeds to let out a quiet, "Oh."

"Is that the girl you're always talking about?" Kendall then inquires, peering over my shoulder to get his own glimpse of my picture. Oh, crap…looks like I'm taking the magazine with me. Whatever, I want Vera to see this, anyway.

"I'm not always talking about her," is the only lousy argument I can make as I stare down at the picture some more, catching myself smiling like an idiot again.

"Oh, _please_," Carlos instigates. Great, here we go again… "It's like Logan and Brooklyn all over again. _Vera_ this and _Vera _that. I'm sure we all know her as just as well as you do by now."

"You're over-exaggerating-" I try to shoot back, but my friends immediately start on me again.

"He has a point," Logan empathetically admits in return. "I mean, let's see- She's going to Penn in the fall…"

"She wants to be a vet," Kendall continues.

"Her boyfriend's name is David," Carlos chimes in. "And you hate him because…he's a jerk or something of that matter."

"She's a vegan, and you had no idea what that meant until Brooklyn gave up a half hour of her time to explain it to you."

"Her dog's name is Misha. He has one eye and always tries to attack you."

"She wears glasses, but as you've previously specified, not the dorky kind. The attractive-sexy-smart girl-rectangular-plastic kind."

"Her eyes are…blue? Oh, no, I'm sorry. Grey."

"You're not sure if her hair color is natural, because it's just this-" Kendall switches his tone of voice, obviously mocking me. "-_absolutely gorgeous _shade of a reddish brown you've never even seen."

"Her family's from Russia, and she speaks the language, which I can only assume confuses you."

"She has-" That's when I finally cut them off, after taking those few moments to be in complete shock. Do I really talk about her that much?

"Okay, okay!" I stop my friends from continuing any more. "I get it."

"I don't think you do, man," Kendall snorts. "It's been quite a few weeks, and you're telling me you seriously haven't made any moves on this girl at _all_? That's just so…not _you_."

"That's because…Vera's just a good friend. That's all," is my horribly lousy explanation.

"Liar!" Carlos calls out, stopping in front of us. "James Diamond doesn't meet a pretty girl and just keep her as a _friend._" I don't really have an answer for that one, because for once, Carlos is actually making sense. But, Vera has a boyfriend. He may be a jerk, but he's still her boyfriend, and I actually have some respect for this girl…for once. For once, I actually care about her. Any other girl, I would've stolen her away from her boyfriend for a weekend or so then forget about her the next Monday. But, I'm not doing that with her. When it comes to Vera Partrov, I'm not the same James Diamond they're used to.

* * *

I'm surprised when I go in this weekend and see that Vera's desk is empty. Where the hell is she? It's Saturday. She's always here early on Saturday. Okay, calm down, James. Maybe she's coming in late. Maybe she's sick. Maybe I should just stop over-thinking it.

I blankly stand there for a moment, clearly uncomfortable, obviously at a loss of what to do without her. Of course, as if right on cue to witness me make an ass out of myself. "James," the rather familiar and feminine male's voice calls to me. It just so happened to belong to Zach. There really wasn't any way to describe him, other than that one cheery yet horribly impertinent gay guy who's just...always here. I don't mind him- he's actually quite nice and seems to be close to Vera- but I can never exactly be sure if he's just being friendly or actually flirting with me. "We were hoping you'd come in today. We need someone to take Vera's job for today."

"Is she okay?" I can't help but immediately ask. He just sighs while he tucks his pen behind his ear and then proceeds to flip through some papers on his clip board.

"I sure hope so," he replies, scribbling something down on the paper. "Alright, so, any forms you may need are filed away in separate labeled folders in the bottom drawer." He then proceeds to give me this strange, intense stare as he points over to the phone sitting on the corner of the desk. "That's the phone. If it rings, pick it up." Really? Does this guy think I'm stupid? ...don't answer that.

"I think I can handle that much," I tell him, falling back into Vera's extremely comfortable office chair.

"Alright, well, if you need anything, or manage to set anything on fire, I'll be in the back." I don't really notice his attempt at taking a shot at me and quickly stop him from going back through the door.

"Wait!" I blurt out, and he suspiciously raises an eyebrow in return after spinning back around. "Uh, did you talk to Vera at all?"

"Yeah, but I don't know the full story yet," he explains. What the- what story? "All I know is that she got hurt- again." He sighs again before pushing the door open with his back. "She's always getting hurt."

"Don't you think that's a little, oh, I don't know..." I tightly purse my lips before adding in, "Suspicious?" He furrows his brow at me, then falls further back into the door.

"Vera's been a klutz for as long as I've known her," he lightly admits, chuckling a bit. "Seriously, you have nothing to worry about. Well, okay, maybe you do, but you get my point." He finally steps the rest of his way through the doorway before telling me, "Now, get to work."

"I have nothing to do!" I shout back after he shuts the door.

I let out a deep sigh and recline back in Vera's chair. I wonder what happened, and most importantly, if she's okay.

I mean, Zach talked to her, so she must be okay. Sure, she's hurt in some way, but she's okay. I wonder how she hurt herself. I wonder if she's home now. I wonder if that jerk of a so-called boyfriend is taking the time to help take care of her. I most definitely doubt that one.


	4. Opposite Ends

So, I decided I should get this one out while I'm **not watching the Superbowl **and waiting for Glee. :) Once again, sorry these are taking so long. I have a month left of this friggin' show, and then I'll be home all day to write and not do any of my important work... Anyways, thanks so much for the reviews (and new reviewers) on the last chapter. They really pushed me to get this one out as soon as I could, lolz. Enjoy!  
- Veg

* * *

Sunday- no Vera; Monday- no Vera; Tuesday...

She's back. Finally, after days of me actually worrying about someone other than myself for once, Vera's back. Of course, she's not exactly in the condition I expected her to be in. She looks awfully exhausted, almost half asleep. Not to mention, one of her arms is shielded by a plain white cast. "Oh my god," is all I can really can say upon entering. "What did you do?" She shows me this smile- half sweet, half horribly nervous, and all I can do is keep my worried gaze locked on her glassy grey eyes.

"I fell," she admits with a nervous giggle. "Slipped right down the stairs."

"...how?" I question in reply, and she shows another faint smile.

"Socks and hardwood floors...never exactly mix." The way she puts it so lightly makes me a lot less worried.

"You really _are_ clumsy," I can't refrain from pointing out with a chuckle. She nods and her smile slowly fades as she resumes typing on her computer with one hand.

"I am," she replies, a lot more serious this time, and that's when a piece of me starts to worry again. God, calm down, you moron. You sound so dumb...well, dumber than usual.

"Vera, are you okay?" I pull a seat up next to her desk, resting my chin on my palm. She doesn't even look at me, which is rather upsetting. I mean, how could she not look at me, anyways? "Vera?"

"Yeah, sorry," she suddenly snaps back to attention. "I'm really out of it today." I want to say to her, "Yeah, I can tell," but I keep my mouth shut for both of our sakes. "Uh, you know," she quickly diverts my attention to another subject. "I met one of your friends while I was at the hospital."

"One of my friends?" I stupidly question before I'm able to make the connection. "Oh! You mean Logan?" She nods and takes a break from her typing to finally look over at me. God, she's so glued to that computer, I can't even imagine the ridiculous amounts of work she's always stuck with.

"Yeah, he's a real sweetheart, that boy," she starts, and I refrain from rolling my eyes at that one. Of course he is. "He took good care of me...better than anyone else would have."

"Wait!" I suddenly blurt out, obviously thinking out loud. "Why the hell didn't he tell me this?" She gives me an innocent shrug and resumes her computer work.

"I don't know. It's a hospital; confidential information, I'm assuming."

"Yeah," I suddenly snap, "but he knew I was worried-" That's when I stop myself. God, James...what the hell are you turning in to? Vera just shoots me this weird look, and I can't exactly do much in return. "Never mind." Note to self: beat Logan up when you get home. "So, uh, I guess we're gonna have to start changing our schedule around here, huh?"

"What do you mean?" She asks, mid-yawn.

"Well, I don't think you should be walking a bunch of bears on leashes with a broken arm," I lightly point out.

"I'll be fine." She shows me that barely-there smile again. "What am I supposed to do- make you go by yourself?" Oh, god, no, just...no. That would be just...hell.

"I sure hope not," I admit with a laugh, reaching out to push a piece of hair away from her eyes. I notice that she immediately flinches when my hand draws near to her face, but I still gently grab the strand and move it away, trying not to laugh at how nervous she looks. She quietly clears her throat and fixes the same piece of hair, tangling her fingers at the roots. "Are you sure you're okay?" Something isn't right about Vera. I'm getting a suspicious feeling that I don't necessarily like.

"Yeah," she replies again, and by her shaking voice, I can tell she's lying. I mean, even the dumbest of the dumb (which is probably what some would be quick to associate me with) can easily call that one out.

"Vera..." That's when the clicking sound of her typing slowly fades away. When I take the time to look back up at her, I immediately notice the blank expression on her face and her trembling lips. She looks like she's about to break down and cry. "What's wrong?" She's quick to shake her head and roughly bite down on her lower lip.

"Nothing," her voice cracks. Her light breaths turn faster and heavier as she bites down harder on her lip. I place a comforting hand over her's and I feel her hand clench up under mine.

"Hey," I softly say, and she looks up at me, both scared and teary-eyed. "Whatever it is, I'm here for you." I squeeze her hand a little more as she tightly purses her quivering lips together. "You know that, right?" Silence. Alright, apparently she doesn't know that. "Well, I know I'm probably not the first person you'd go to for...well, for anything, but I'm here even as a last resort." I flash her another smile to lighten the mood before noticing a single tear gleaming in the corner of her eye, about to roll all the way down her cheek. I catch it before it does so, and she immediately turns her head away in embarrassment.

* * *

If there's anything I want to know right now- anything that's bothering me and constantly on my mind- it's what's wrong with Vera. As the days fly by, she just grows more quiet and distant. Needless to say, it's worrying me.

"I don't get it," Carlos mumbles as he digs through the fridge for breakfast. "You talk about her all the time. You've actually been worrying about her more than you have yourself lately."

"And?" I mindlessly question, swinging my feet up onto the table. I notice the glare Logan gives me for doing so, and I just laugh at him. At least Mrs. Knight taught one of us well.

"I don't know, it's weird," he continues. "You're making out with some...bimbo one minute, and the next it's Vera, Vera, Vera...and then it starts all over again."

"I don't see your point," I reply, staring up at the ceiling.

"His point is that no matter how many hot girls you get with, the only one that ever really matters at the end of the day is Vera," Logan interjects, and I honestly just kind of want to hit him. I'm still kind of pissed about him not telling me about meeting her in the hospital. "She might actually be- slowly but surely- changing you for the better." I really just ignore the points they're trying to make, although I do kind of believe them.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," is all I tell the two, mid-yawn.

"You're an idiot," Logan plainly replies before rolling his eyes and making his abrupt exit.

"Tell me something I don't know!" I call out after him with a chuckle. Logan is almost too easy to antagonize.

"You love Vera," Carlos teases and I refrain from hitting him, too.

"He's only capable of loving something with a reflection!" Logan shouts back from his room, and I ignore the fact that it's most likely true. Carlos snickers as he takes a seat across from me. I glare at him in return.

"Don't you have an old person's life to risk or something?"

"Not today," he explains before shoveling a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. "Gustavo gave us the day off, remember?" I furrow my brow in confusion- the day off?

"He gave all of us the day off?" I inquire and Carlos nods. "I don't remember that."

"You were probably too busy daydreaming about Vera," he then mumbles under his breath. I shrug him off before standing up to grab my car keys off the counter. "Where are you going?"

"The shelter," I simply reply as he laughs and teases me as I make my way out the door.

While on my drive, I literally tried everything to get ahold of Vera- calls, texts...I even sent her an e-mail. I want her to know I'm showing up today, just because...well, I don't know, but I just do.

I take it upon myself to enter through the back door of the shelter, just because I can at this point. There's something I like about using a door that says "staff only." It makes me feel special in a weird way. Anyways...whatever- I guess that's not really important. I go through the back, where I immediately see Zach upon entering. He just simply nods to acknowledge me while holding something that's bundled up in s towel. With closer inspection, I'm able to make out that it's actually a cat- a kitten, actually, and I just shudder at the sight and continue walking. If there's a pet I hate slightly more than others, it's a cat. The guys kind of ruined my childhood when they made me watch Pet Sematary one night at Kendall's, then proceeded to make jokes the old lady down the street's cats. Needless to say, I hate them, no matter how ridiculous my reasoning is. If there really is some Indian Burial ground out there somewhere that brings the dead back as ruthless killers, then I'm not gonna take my chances.

When I burst through the door that leads me out to the front desk, I'm in for quite a surprise- Vera and David. Vera's sitting up on her desk while her boyfriend's lips are all over her- her lips, her neck, her shoulders- while his hands roam...the rest of her. Just as I walk in, they seem to be creeping up the bottom of her shirt, but Vera timidly pushes them away. His lips move up from her collarbone to her ear, where he softly whispers something to her with this horribly arrogant smirk on his face. Vera's head just drops, and I although I can't see her face, I can only imagine how red it must be right now. Clearly wanting this to stop, I loudly clear my throat to make the two aware of my presence. "James!" Vera nervously gasps after whipping her head back to look at me. "I-I, um..." She stutters. "I...thought you weren't coming in today." I simply shrug and flash her a smile while slowly stepping closer towards her desk, ignoring the "back the F off" look her boyfriend shoots me.

"Yeah, I decided against it," I reply. I wonder if Vera will ever realize that I'm not as selfless as I always seem to make myself appear around her. "I wouldn't have known if someone didn't tell me ten minutes ago."

"Well, that was, um, nice of you," She looks down and purses her lips together. "Oh, um, you remember my boyfriend, David, right?" I just nod and give him an awkward, two-fingered wave and he actually just rolls his eyes in return.

"Well, I have better things to do," he mumbles, then moves back over to his girlfriend's ear and lowers his voice to a whisper. "I'll see you later." Vera's face then does just what I was anticipating- transforms into that bright shade of scarlet as he storms out the inferior front entrance.

"I'm sorry about him," Vera sweetly tells me. "He doesn't exactly know how to...behave himself sometimes."

"Don't apologize," I reply with a shrug before suddenly blurting out, "It's not your fault he's a jerk." Damn. I should've kept that one to myself.

"He's not a jerk," she argues back, keeping her gaze locked on the tiled floor. "David's just...well, he has some issues. He has problems at home and he's under a lot of pressure at school and...he just needs someone there for him. I really worry about him."

"I don't care how awful his life is; he doesn't have to take it out on you." Maybe I should have kept that one to myself, too. I really need to start thinking before I speak. Maybe I just need to start thinking period.

"He doesn't," her shaking voice replies. _You're lying._ "I'm here to help him. He needs me."

_Maybe as a girlfriend, but not as a punching bag._

My gaze shifts from Vera's sad, grey eyes and over to her white plastered arm. You didn't fall down the steps, Vera. I know you didn't. David's a bigger jerk than I thought he was.

"You're right. I'm sorry."


	5. Love Affair

Sup guys...sorry this one took so long. Thanks so much for all your reviews, because I wouldn't of had any motivation to finish this without them. I decided to get this one out while I'm trying not to burst into a tantrum over tonight's _Glee. _-_-" Blaine= forever gay.  
Anyways...enjoy. :)

- Veg

* * *

Things with Vera are actually starting to get...awkward. She seems to be focusing a lot less on me (which I obviously take into offense) and more on her work and her...boyfriend.

Ugh. _David_. I can't even begin to fathom all of the hatred I have for that guy, and I barely even know him. Vera doesn't even seem happy with him- she's selectively happy with him. He picks fights with her, treats her rudely and manipulates her, but she tells me there's "something about him" that keeps her around. What in the world could possibly keep her around that? It's ridiculous. He's so paranoid and clingy and is wholeheartedly convinces Vera's gonna leave him or some garbage like that. Unfortunately, neither of them realize that she should.

Part of me is dying to tell Vera... just about everything that's been on my mind. David's a jerk, and I'm pretty sure I'm aware of what's going on between the two. I may be kind of…stupid, but I'm not _that_ stupid. I know there has to be something behind the bruises and the broken arm, and the fact that her boyfriend's a complete ass definitely can't be just some _coincidence. _But, then again, the other part is yelling at me to stay out of it and mind my own business. I really like Vera- whether it's as a friend or not- and I don't want her to, well, hate me or anything. I mean, she got pretty defensive yesterday the second I brought up the subject of her relationship and the last thing I want is for her to be upset with me. I'm just worried about her. I never really expected for some crappy, forced volunteer job to bring me to someone whom I care so much for now. It's actually kind of…weird.

"_You're in love with her,_" Carlos would always tell me. Carlos is an idiot. I need to stop going to him for advice.

"_Just…ask her out already. A boyfriend's never stopped you before," _Kendall simply suggested, like it's actually that easy. Believe me, I wish it was.

"_You're really dumb, you know that_?" was all Logan really ever had to say. Thanks, I know that now.

And, of course, there's the oh-so helpful two cents Brooklyn felt it necessary to add in via call from New York: _"Just keep it in your pants for now, okay?"_ Yeah, I'll try.

Vera sat at her desk, textbook in her lap, trying to finish her homework. Normally, I'd just be babbling away about some nonsense I'm surprised she actually listens to, but I didn't even think to do so today. Nothing really seems…right. "You alright?" I ask her, just out of habit; even though I know the answer she's going to give me already.

"Yeah," she quietly replies, although I know she's probably mentally screaming, _"No, not at all."_

"A lot of work or something?" is my lousy attempt at keeping our conversation going. She just nods in reply. "Any plans for this weekend?"

"No," she says with a sigh. "None other than the fact that I'm stuck here all night tonight."

"All night?" I ask, sounding a little more suspicious than I intended to.

"Yeah, no one else was able to stay tonight, so," she lets out another loud sigh and slams her book shut. "Zach and I got stuck with the job."

"And you stay…all night?" I probably look like an idiot, repeating myself the way I am now, but it was kind of hard to believe…being stuck here all night. That sounds kind of awful. She nods in reply, and I just give her this dumbfounded, blank stare.

"What, do you think we're just gonna leave a building full of stray animals by themselves at night?" She asks me, laughing a bit. "I mean, it's actually a lot more fun than it sounds, especially when you're spending most of your Friday nights alone like Zach and me."

"You don't go out with your boyfriend or anything?" I suddenly blurt out, and by the look she shot me, I can tell I shouldn't have.

"No," she's quick to reply. "He's always…busy." Well, I guess that's better for you, then.

As if right on cue to avoid an awkward silence between the two of us, Zach suddenly decides to make a dramatic burst through the door behind Vera, causing her to nearly jump out of her seat. "Uh, hey-" I open my mouth the greet him, but he abruptly puts a hand in front of my face, which I take as a sign to stop talking.

"Shh!" He cuts me off. "Don't talk." Alright then… He then takes the initiative to sit himself up on the desk, completely obstructing his friend's work space.

"Do you need something?" Vera asks, hinting a bit of intolerance.

"Yeah," he tells her with a smile. "A girl talk." I refrain from bursting out in laughter at that one while Vera just innocently giggles.

"What is it now?" She asks, leaning back in her chair a bit.

"Well…remember that guy I was telling you about? The one from the mall?" Vera then proceeds to roll her eyes as she nods. I took it that it meant he had already given her more than a spiel about said topic.

"What about him?" She puts her feet up on her desk, and I catch myself subconsciously smiling at her. Vera gives me a weird look in return, but I can't help it. Those little habits she has are just so…cute.

"Oh, nothing," Zach replies with a mischievous smile. "He's only taking me out to dinner and the MOCA tonight." Vera just laughs at him in return.

"You hate museums," she reminds him. "And…really don't appreciate art." Huh, sounds kind of like me. Zach shakes his head and flicks his wrist at her.

"Not important right now," he tells her. "But, uh… I probably won't be back until later, so, uh…" He gives her this innocent, hopeful smile and Vera lets out a frustrated sigh.

"So, what you're trying to say is that you're leaving me here alone tonight." He pouts his lips and shows his friend a guilty, "I'm sorry"-type look, but she just shakes her head, signaling for him to cut it out. "Alright, fine. I'll find someone else…"

"You're the best, V," he says with a big smile before leaving to return tending to the furry little demons.

"So, what are you gonna do now?" I ask Vera, and she just shrugs.

"I guess I'll find someone."

"Do you…" I hesitate before continuing, but then quickly blurt out the rest of my question. "-want me to stay with you?" She actually looks a little shocked that I asked.

"U-uh, n-no, no…" She quickly looks away from me and down at her feet. "I-I mean…you don't have to do that. I should be okay."

"Come on," I reply, trying to work my charm on her even more, which probably makes her uncomfortable. "You shouldn't stay here by yourself. Let me come in tonight. I don't have anything important to do, anyways." At least, I don't think I do. I actually think I had a date with…that one girl. Uh, whatever her name is…

"Um, James, you really don't have to-"

"I want to, Vera," I cut her off. "And I'll see you tonight."

* * *

"So…you're spending the night…at the animal shelter?" Kendall slowly asks me, clearly confused with the information he was given.

"Uh, yeah," I plainly reply like it's nothing. "Well, until 6 tomorrow morning when someone else is coming in."

"You say that like you'll actually be able to stay up until 6," Logan snorts. "Especially in a place full of animals that scare the hell out of you."

"Let me guess- Vera's gonna be there," Carlos mocks me and I just stay quiet for once. I've had enough of them bothering me for today. "I knew it. That's why you're doing this."

"I just can't do something nice for once?" I try and defend myself, and they all just laugh at me.

"No," all of my friends scoff at the same time.

"Alright, fine." I say with a sigh.

"Maybe tonight will finally be the night you'll tell Vera you're weirdly obsessed with her?" Carlos teases me, and I attempt to glare a hole through his skin.

"_Boyfriend_," I remind him.

"Who's a jerk," Logan lightly adds in, shrugging his shoulders. "You probably worry about her more than he does." At that moment, I'm ready to open my big mouth and blurt out something I probably should and shouldn't at the same time. I have a reason to worry about her. David's more of a jerk than anyone else must realize.

"But I'm _not_ obsessed with her."

"But you like her," he reminds me. "For real. Not like the girls you make out with for a day then trash 24 hours later." I do my best to attempt to ignore him. This is all starting to get to the point where my friends sound like a bunch of squealing middle school girls.

"Yeah, well…" I reply, glancing in the mirror to quickly run my comb through my hair. "I've gotta go." Actually, I don't, but I also don't feel like being pestered anymore. Of course, by the time I get in my car and pull out of the parking lot, I can't help but realize I'd be arriving at least an hour early.

* * *

I think showing up at the shelter earlier than planned actually turned out to be a _good _thing. When I pulled into the parking lot, I immediately noticed Vera and David by the back entrance. David looked angry, and Vera looked like a combination of terrified and on the verge of tears as she crouched down up against the concrete wall. Of course, the second I got out of my car, Vera popped straight up and complete silence fell among us. "Everything okay here?" I asked the two as I walked toward them, and they both looked as if they were completely forcing the smiles on their faces.

I glance up at the clock on the wall as I subconsciously tap my fingers on the arm of my chair- it's exactly 8 o'clock. It's been a few hours since that moment passed, and that's all that's been on my mind. I really want to say something to Vera now. I've got to do _something,_ because I might be the only one seeing this. Everyone else may think everything is fine with her, because that's probably what they hear, but there's a real problem. A bad one. A dangerous one. One she's too scared to tell anyone about.

I look up at Vera in her usual spot, typing away on her computer, and smile at her, mainly because I don't know what else to do at this point. It's completely silent except for the clicking sounds of the keyboard. "What're you working on?" I ask, just to fill the slightly uncomfortable silence.

"This research paper that has to be e-mailed to my teacher before midnight," she says with a sigh, stopping a moment to rest her chin on the palm of her hand.

"I see you're having an exciting night," I joke, making her giggle.

"I'm almost done," she quietly replies.

After a few more moments of silence, I want to say something else, but am immediately cut off when the two of us notice a loud whimpering sound coming from the back. Vera immediately jumps out of her seat, and I follow behind her, a bit nervous. "Aw, it was just Toby," she explains after she turns the light on back by the dog cages, keeping the room as dim as possible for the sake of the sleeping animals. She opens up one of the top cages and reaches up to pull out the tiniest whimpering puppy I've ever seen. She looks up at me as she cradles the little brown furball with her arm that isn't stuck in a cast. "He's just a baby- only a few weeks. His mom died after he was born." She pouts and stares down at the dog before closing the cage without putting him back inside. "I'll keep him out for a while. I don't think he likes the dark, or at least being alone."

Vera insisted on keeping the puppy in her lap as she finished her paper and I sat as comfortable as I could on the couch, flipping through the channels repeatedly on the TV that hung high up in the back corner of the room. Of course, there's obviously nothing on regular cable television on a Saturday night, so the news stayed on. I guess it's better than sitting in silence. "Finally," Vera lets out a relieved sigh before closing her laptop and smiles to herself, and then down at the half-asleep dog in her lap. She ruffles the top of his head and he immediately sits up to look up at her. When she leans down to kiss the top of his head, I resist my urge to cringe in slight horror. As I've stated before- pretty girls shouldn't kiss furry fleabags. Of course, when the dog stretches upward to slobber on her cheek…well, that's when I can't help but wince a bit, and of course, Vera notices.

"James Diamond," she lightly says with her sweet smile. "Are you trying to say that you've never let a dog kiss you before?"

"That's not a kiss, Vera," I blurt out. "That's just…_blech._" I make myself shudder to add dramatic effect, and she just laughs at me.

I take a moment to just…stare at her. Her pale cheeks transform into a light shade of pink as her wide-open grey eyes stare up at me.

We moved slow, but it all flew by so fast. Before I knew it, our faces were moving closer and closer towards each other, her face ended up in between my hands, and our lips gently pressed together.


	6. Raindrops

I would like to start off with apologizing for being MIA the past few weeks, I was reeaaally busy. :/ Thank you so much for all of your reviews since then; you guys really are the best. 3  
I would also like to apologize for the fact that I made this chapter so short, but I'm kind of in a slump, and I know it's way too early to be using that excuse. But, I know where I want this to end up in the end, I'm just having some trouble getting there. :/ So, if there's anything you could possibly donate to help me out, it would be greatly appreciated. Love you guys so much. xx  
- Veg

* * *

My face slowly moved forward until my lips touch Vera's soft, trembling ones. She hesitated, obviously nervous, before reacting and actually returning my kiss. My hands carefully moved from holding her face to around her waist. You know, some people (well, some girls) normally talk about feeling some type of "fireworks" when they kiss someone they truly care about- or, maybe they see them? I'm not sure how exactly you feel a firework. Whatever, that's not important. I've neither felt nor seen fireworks in even one of the million kisses I've shared with a million different girls. I've never gotten that…feeling.

And I didn't get that with Vera. I didn't feel the "fireworks."

But, that's because…that's because I felt something much more than that. Don't think of fireworks when you hear that, though. These weren't fireworks. Try a billion sticks of dynamite in the middle of a forest fire-_that's_ what it felt like, and this is the only time I've ever felt like that. And it only made me want more.

"James," Vera suddenly jerked away and took a step back. The facial expression she held was a combination of surprise and fear.

_Only made me want more of what I can't have…_

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, the puppy still in her arm. "I-I…I'm just…I can't do this. I'm sorry." She tried to look away, but I gently took her face in between my hands again and stared into her eyes.

"Vera," I softly said, finally making her look up at me before carefully pressing my forehead up against hers. "You felt that too, didn't you?" We were close to the point where my lips brushed up against hers when I spoke, only bringing them to lock with each other again. Vera let that one last a bit longer, and when it was finished, she looked...surprised. "You know," I tell her with a smile, "A kiss feels a lot different when it's shared with someone you actually care about."

"James, I can't…" She bit down on her trembling lip and looked away from me once more. "This just isn't fair- to any of us. You, me…David-"

"You've got to be kidding me," I immediately replied, taking a sudden step back. "Why the hell should it matter to _either_ of us what's fair to him? He's awful to you." Vera looked as if she was going to break down in tears.

"James," her voice was shaking, "Don't say that."

"I know you think you're doing a good job of hiding it, but I know what's going on. I know what he's doing to you…how he's treating you." That's when the tears started spilling out. "Vera, please…talk to me. I want to help." I reached out to comfort her, but she immediately turned around. She quickly scurried away to return the animal to his cage, and then the rest of our night was spent in sufficiently awkward silence.

Vera and I haven't spoken since that night, and I honestly think she's been avoiding me. She hasn't been at the shelter in quite a few days. Well, in that case, I can only hope that it's because she's avoiding me, and not because she got hurt again.

* * *

It's raining again. Rain, I guess you can say, is something I love and hate at the same time. I love the sound of it, as cliché as that may sound, and I love the peaceful, serene mood it always seems to set. I remember when I was a kid and would have to stay in on a rainy day. I'd sit by my bedroom window and just watch the raindrops race each other down the glass, making bets with myself on which one would reach the bottom first. On the other hand, I hate storms and being outside in the rain. I hate messing up my clothes, and of course, getting my hair wet.

I stare out at the window, watching the little water droplets race down to the bottom. My eyes locked their gaze on the one that seemed to continuously swallow the other raindrops, transforming into one giant one itself. "I know your secret," I hear a voice tease from behind me in a singsongy tone, bringing me out of my thoughtless state. I spin my (well, Vera's) chair around, only to see Zach, leaning up against the doorframe with his arms crossed across his chest. Oh, great…

"What secret?" I stupidly question, slouching back in the chair, only praying that he's not talking about what I think he is.

"Oh, come on, James. I know you're not _that_ stupid," he scoffs. "I heard about the, uh, incident that went on here the other night." I glance back out the window. Damn, I lost my raindrop.

"Where has Vera been?" I quickly attempt to change the topic. "Is she okay?"

"Oh, she's fine," he practically grunts in reply. "But that's _not _what we're talking about right now. What went on here last weekend? Vera sucks at providing me with details."

"Nothing," I plainly tell him, kind of embarrassed that he knows now. "We just got a little…emotional, that's all." Zach rolls his eyes at me, clearly frustrated with the fact that I definitely wasn't providing him with what he was looking for.

"Why? What happened?" He over-excitedly questions. "I know that can't be all you have to tell me."

"Zach…have you ever noticed how David-"

"James, stop changing the subject!"

"-treats Vera?" He looks as if he's about to go on another rant, but then quickly stops when he realizes what I'm asking.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, to start off…he's a jerk."

"Yeah, I knew that," Zach snorts in reply. At least someone agrees with me- well, I don't think Mrs. Partrov is too fond of him, either…

"And…I don't know. He's just so controlling…and manipulative and even aggressive…" Wow, look at me using big words today… "It scares me- for Vera's sake."

"Well, I'm not going to jump to any conclusions, but I can tell you one thing: Vera's not happy with him. That's a given. And since you came around…" His sentence trails off and he takes a moment to lightly chuckle.

"What?" I suspiciously question, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"You really _are_ dense," he sighs, shaking his head at me. "I've just happened to notice how…_happy_ she is with you." He shoots me this look that really gives me a sense of how important this must be. "That girl thinks the absolute highest of you…she talks about you like you put the stars in the sky." I couldn't help but smile to myself a little at his statement, and Zach is quick to roll his eyes at me and lowers his voice to a mumble. "Don't let it get to your head or anything…"

"Sorry?" I plainly ask with a shrug, even though I'm not really.

"Look, James…all I have to say is that I know you, and I know your type-"

"Oh, really?" I cut him off, clearly offended.

"Uh, yeah," he scoffs, giving me more sass than I would ever expect coming from a guy. "Because if you were smarter and attracted to men, you'd be a more ignorant version of me with a less tasteful sense of fashion." Wait…what? Did I really just get insulted three times in one sentence…? "Anyway, what I'm saying is that Vera's a nice girl, and the last thing I want to see is some jerk hurting her again." I was about to defend myself, until he started talking again. Then again, Zach never really stopped talking…ever. "Not that I'm calling you a jerk…just…don't do this to her if it's just because you want to hook up or some shit like that, because if you do, you'll probably wake up the next morning with your foot rammed down your throat." I shudder at the thought of how that would exactly feel. "So…now that that's out of the way, would you care to tell me exactly what went on here the other night?"

"Nothing, really- we kissed." Zach gives me this bored, blank stare and I innocently shrug in reply. "Twice."

"And…?" He finally asks, hinting for me to continue on with my lousy story.

"Zach, have you ever kissed someone and felt that…"spark" people always seem to fantasize over?" Zach's lips immediately curl in to an amused smirk.

"Sounds like someone's in love," he teases. Great, here we go again…

"Uh…let's not use that word just yet…" I awkwardly reply. Love…what an interesting word to be used by me. It just doesn't seem to fit who I'm used to being.

"Whatever you say," he scoffs. I stare at the window again, preparing to mentally race the raindrops once again, trying not to think of what Zach had just told me.

"_Sounds like someone's in love."_


End file.
